Da Vinci

Platform: HackTheBox | Category: Misc | Difficulty: Easy | Author: D3v0o0Nu11 | Date: 2026-02-10

Description

Try to find out the secret which is hiding inside of these pictures and learn the truth about Mona Lisa!

Solution Approach

Core idea: Identify the weakness from source review or fingerprinting first. Iterate with incremental payloads instead of guessing.

Steps

1. First, unzip the .zip file given.

2. Let's strings monalisa.

3. It looks like there are hidden files inside. Now extract it using binwalk, then jump to the extracted directory.

4. Yep, just like what we thought!

5. Hmm.. let's try to unzip the famous one.

6. Use fcrackzip to get the pass.

 sh read-only • copy allowed Copy
fcrackzip -D -u -p /usr/share/wordlists/rockyou.txt famous.zip

1. Unzip it again.

2. Hmm.. let's use stegsolve.

3. Well i got nothing.

4. Let's try to strings Plans.jpg.

5. Check the youtube video.

6. No clue.

7. Let's strings the last file.

8. Well got not clue either. But the file name caught my attention, the clue here is referring to steghide (?).

9. Let's try to use it and insert the pass as TOM ("TOM" is displayed at the image)

10. There we go! Strings it.

11. Hmm.. What comes to my mind is, this password is for Mona.jpg. But first, the password looks like hashed (might be in MD5, since it's the common hash algorithm in CTF), try to crack it with online md5 cracker.

12. Let's use it to mona.

13. Hmm.. use it to plans then.

14. Stuck for a while here, but when i check the youtube's link we got.

15. I tried to use the Guernica as the password.

16. Turns out it's correct.

17. Strings the key.

18. It's encoded in base64 , decode it.

DECODE IT AGAIN

DECODE IT AGAIN

1. Got the flag!

Flag

REDACTED

Lessons Learned

1. Identify the weakness from source review or fingerprinting first.
2. Iterate with incremental payloads instead of guessing.
3. Reuse the same pattern in future engagements.